News

April 30, 2009

Ice-T is tired of the "bubblegum pop" that passes for hip-hop these days. So what's the MC-turned-actor going to do about it?

"I'm starting a digital label through EMI," Ice told the New York Daily News. "I'm trying to get back to more hip-hop. To me, music right now is like disco. It's very sing-songy, and nobody's dealing with content. That's what I miss. I miss 2Pac and Big. You got Lupe Fiasco and TI now, but in general, we're swamped with bubblegum pop."

He's already signed five acts from different parts of the country: "I'm playing the whole map."

The New York Post reports that a lawsuit filed against Foxy Brown by a neighbor accusing her of assaulting her with a cell phone has been dismissed.
Foxy was hauled off to jail in August 2007 when a judge revoked her probation after the incident.

Brown was accused of violating the terms of her release when she was arrested on charges she smacked Arlene Raymond with her BlackBerry when she complained about the volume of Foxy's car stereo. She later plead guilty, but a lawsuit was filed last year. Brown, whose real name is Inga Marchand, was on probation for attacking two manicurists at a nail salon in 2004.

"What I got out now, the Party Time EP, is like a prelude to the Fat Boys album," Kool Rock told DX. "We're trying to get people warmed up to the name again."

In a casual, but often pointed, interview, Arnold asks Rock about replacing the late Human Beat Box, the cultivation of the group's image early on, the move into covers of old pop records and what he thinks the Fat Boys legacy is in the context of names like Run DMC.

"I think the fact that every parent saw in us just pure fun," Rock said. "Like, those guys are clean. They're not rapping about sexual [stuff]. They're not rapping about raising hell. [Laughs] They're just being who they are. They're just being funny. And they're young. A lot of kids gravitated to us 'cause they just seen these young faces. The legacy for us is just that a lot of people gravitated towards us because we brought that fun element into hip-hop."

TMZ is going 'round and 'round with the Underground lately. Distracted by the site's report on Shock G and his bikini entourage, we missed the news Wednesday that they had "obtained photographic evidence that Tupac Shakur is alive and well." We sense some sarcasm somewhere in that post, but common sense tells us that 2Pac's return would not be met with a crowd of people looking elsewhere -- snapping only pictures of his profile -- while he was "drinking hand grenades in New Orleans." We hope he's alive, too, but we also hope that when and if he does return he makes a grander entrance than that. R.I.P.

April 29, 2009

As the music industry evolves, artists always are looking for new ways to be heard by the public. De La Soul, ever the innovators, have come up with what could be a winner -- a workout album. And they got Nike to spring for it. Truth be told, the "album" -- released Tuesday on iTunes -- is actually a 45-minute track complete with lyrics that echo what you'd expect to hear from a trainer: “Run! Pick up the pace! Know that life is just a race." But who knows, it might just be exactly what some of us who grew up on De La needs at this stage in life.

“When we first heard about this project we were psyched on the challenge,” says rapper Posdnuos told Newsday. “We pride ourselves on being able to get bodies moving, so it was cool to do it with a specific goal in mind -- giving runners the sonic fuel to clock some miles.”

It's no secret The 411 Online is a fan of Shock G. We try to keep up on him and all things Digital Underground, make a point to pick up an album if it drops or catch what's always a wild show when he comes around. And, of course, tell anyone who will listen that there was more to DU than "The Humpty Dance."

So it was with a little surprise in this celeb-of-the-moment-obsessed world that we found TMZ was keeping tabs as well. After all, the best they had to offer when passing along Shock's recent Vegas exploits was a couple of, yes, "Humpty Dance" references.

Shock is surrounded by women in bikinis in the photo gallery. Couldn't they at least pretend they'd heard the rest of the classic Sex Packets album? "Freaks of the Industry" seems like a natural. Or you could open their minds by dropping something from later albums like "Return of the Crazy One," "Glooty-Us-Maximus" or "The Rime In The Mochanut." OK, forget that last one. But perhaps some of the more intimate photos serve as a reminder that he's making good on his promise that "if it wasn't for the rap then we'd be mackin'." We're ready for more of the former, so bring it... when you're done there, of course.

January 21, 2009

As always, The 411 Online is not of one mind when it comes to the end of the year honors. The Best of 2008 is our first edition since the site was retooled with an old school emphasis -- and 15th overall -- but that doesn't mean our staff's favorites are limited to that generation of artists. Q-Tip and Jay-Z represent the golden era, but Lil' Wayne, T.I. and Young Jeezy are featured as well. Keeping it simple this year, here are our picks for the Best of 2008.

January 20, 2009

The late MC Breed coined the phrase in 1990 on "Ain't No Future in Yo' Frontin'." George Clinton loved it so much he built a song around it in 1993, recruiting the likes of Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Humpty Hump, Flavor Flav, Yo-Yo and Breed himself for the single and video.

As Barack Obama is sworn in as President of the United States, The 411 Online pauses to celebrate what no one thought was possible 19, 16 -- or even a couple -- years ago.

January 19, 2009

"The King of New York" was no match for "The King of Queens" this weekend -- at least at the box office.

Former sitcom star Kevin James' "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" was the No. 1 movie, pulling in nearly $34 million. The biographical film about the life and death of Notorious B.I.G. made $21.5 million to finish in fourth place.

However, "Notorious" was No. 1 is a different category -- per screen average. The film pulled in an average of $13,126 in 1,638 theaters. By comparison, "Paul Blart" opened on 3,144 screens. It also was the biggest opening of all-time for Fox Searchlight, known for smaller critical successes like "Juno" and "Little Miss Sunshine."

"It's a very high quality film, and it's a compelling look at a compelling cultural icon who, like many cultural icons, left way too early but left an indelible mark on society," Chris Aronson, senior vice president of domestic
distribution for 20th Century Fox told the Associated Press.

It was a good weekend for the film industry, as most of the week's new movies outperformed expectations. Experts said "Notorious" was able to cross over to fans outside of Biggie's fanbase and early estimates indicated that 40 percent of the audience was under 25.

January 15, 2009

What's the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame without the King of Rock? Incomplete, of course. But that's been addressed, as Run DMC are among the latest round of inductees.

DMC told the Associated Press that it's "inconceivable" that the group will join a class that includes Metallica, Bobby Womack, Jeff Beck and Little Anthony & the Imperials.

"I'm a rap dude, I'm an MC... just rockin' the mic, and to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with the Beatles, and Dylan, and the rock and roll gods? It's ridiculous! Ridiculous in a good way," said DMC, who along with Run and the late Jam Master Jay made up the trio. Of course, their glasses, hats and Adidas have already made an appearance at the Hall in 1999 as part of the Roots, Rhymes and Rage exhibit.

Appropriately, Aerosmith will be waiting for them at the Hall, a group Run DMC helped revitalize with their remake and video for the crossover hit, "Walk This Way."